


Bubblegum Punch

by InsominiacArrest



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Getting Together, Mission Fic, big buff and little gf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-10 09:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6978556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsominiacArrest/pseuds/InsominiacArrest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zarya has no idea why she has to guard an outpost in the middle of Mongolia with a teenager who won’t stop popping her bubble gum.</p><p>Hana, D.Va, doesn’t understand Zarya and why she would choose to give up going to championships, trophies don't win themselves if you don't play</p><p>They try to understand each other over a week long mission</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 148 Hours

_Two Hours In_

Zarya could think of at least twenty things she'd rather be doing at that very moment, dead-weight lifting, driving into the ocean, pulling her hair out one strand at a time. The breeze was a harsh whip of cold on her face and she tries to face away from it and prop up her collar. They stood outside on iron door with a little apocalypse style bunker laid into the earth.

The Mongolian tundra spread out before them on all sides, a vast frosted plain with dipping mountains and little scraggly scrubs with white tips making the earth seem dream-like. Somewhere the war never touched.

Zarya knows that didn't exist, but it was a nice thought.

_Pop_

Or at least, it would be if her companion would leave her to her thoughts and stop popping her bubblegum every minute like a broken machine that kept blowing its joints out.

Zarya side-eyes her young companion. She was far too young, a little thing without much in muscle except an attitude and giant metal suit she perched upon.

_Pop_

Zayra winced, D. Va didn't give her a single glance. They didn’t seem like the best fit tactically, two tanks that plowed through enemies seemed a bit redundant.

_Pop_

Zarya lets out a put-upon sigh, it had been a long week running around for Winston and she barely got in leg day. She positions herself on the ground and starts doing push ups to distract herself.

She hears D. Va finally climb down from her little pink war machine, which Zarya admitted she was rather fond of. Pink and disastrous, her kind of appliance. If only it’s occupant wasn’t quite so _herself_ or quiet so attractive.

_Pop_

“Sooo, there’s no internet.” D. Va finally says two hours into their silence following polite introductions. Zarya grunts in acknowledgment of her statement. She reaches twenty push ups. “Like, if you get in trouble there’s no cell service.”

Zarya looks up to see D. Va sitting cross-legged across from her. “Do you plan on getting in trouble?”

D. Va snorts, “as if. Nah, it’s just...idk why this middle of nowhere wasteland has anything but...those big yak things.” D. Va delicately wrinkles her nose and Zarya shakes her head.

“It’s important. They said they would pay us.”

  
D. Va sighs deeply and sits back on her arms, Zarya reaches fifty push-ups, she can feel D. Va’s eyes following her.

The silence chills her until she sits back up and D. Va is still frowning in her direction, “you have something to say, little child?”

That makes D. Va sit upright, “you’re gay right?” Zarya blinks rapidly and almost has to sit down, “I totally read that in that body builder magazine, well I read it online as I side note from the editors in that article. Total reddit gossip, but like, I get it.”  
  
_Pop_

Zarya has to sit down then. “Do you have a point?” She looks at her hands and regrets many a life decision up to point, including this little girl in the middle of frozen nowhere.

D. Va juts her jaw out, “What’s it like?”

Zarya tilts her head, “you like girls. And that is that. Strong feelings.”  
  
D. Va laughs, “I’m totally gonna tweet that when we get back to civilization.”  
  
“Don’t hold your breath.” Zarya glances at the bunker, “it could be awhile.”  
  
D. Va groans and lies back on the metal door, “right.”  
  
_Pop_

\-------------------

_24 Hours_

Hana played with the slinky she found in her backpack, whoever packed it for her was a Godsend, she wasn’t sure she had ever been this bored in her life. She needed something to do with her hands.

Her DS was charging its battery in the weak sunlight, but that was going to take hours.

She almost wants to go blow up a mountain for fun or cut off her own ears, but of course, her handlers would definitely complain. Ammo isn’t free Hana, idols without ears don’t get page likes.

She grumbles to herself and juggles the slinky back and forth. “Stupid mission, stupid government, stupid omnics.” She wants an rpg.

Hana catches Zarya’s eye when she tangles the slinky in her fingers and poised herself to start biting it off.

“Pull.” Zarya states simply and yanks the slinky in half like it was butter.

Hana gasps softly, and then scowls, “I was playing with that.” Zarya shrugs and hands her back either end of the mangled toy. Hana scoots closer to the large women, “so, you're like super strong.”

That makes Zarya light up like the skyline on new year's, she flexes and Hana tries not to giggle behind her hands, “I am known for being rather strong, yes.”  
She flexes some more and Hana lifts an eyebrow.

“Why’d you stop competing then?” She eyes her.

Zarya frowns in her direction, her smile wilting at the edges, “uprising.”  
  
“I know, I know.” She leans forward, “I do  _read_. It’s just,” she tilts side to side, “you stopped doing it.”  
  
Zarya snorts, “I don’t need competition to know I am the strongest women in the world.”  
  
Hana feels slightly targeted at that comment. She sticks a piece of gum in her mouth to distract herself. “Okay, but you have to admit. It’s like the best feeling in the world.” She tosses her arms in the air, “everybody cheers, and the loser crumples and everybody says nice things about your skillz online.”  
  
She smiles at the memory.

Zarya eyes her, “there are more important things than trophies.” Zarya lumbers to her feet, “you are young. You might understand when you grow.”  
  
Hana puts her hands on hips, “I’m not _that_ young. I’ve got just as much cred as the rest of you all.”

Zarya nods, “we’ll see.”  
  
“Not that we’ll see any action out here.” She stands up and kicks a rock, “we’re probably guarding an empty vacation house.”  
  
Zarya laughs roughly, “you have to be crazy to vacation out here!”

Hana kicks another stone, “crazy nature kooks trying to get in touch with the yaks or some BS.” She tears at her hair. “That’s who.”

Zarya smirks, “Mercy.”  
  
Hana gasps, “I bet that soldier dude. He’s so stressed!”  
  
They talk about who would want them to protect a vacation home in the middle of nowhere.

 

\----------

_48 Hours_

 

Zarya lay her head against the cool metal and wondered how long she was going to hold out. D. Va taps her foot on her arm absently.

“Okay, but would you rather have to drink twenty protein shakes in a row or five raw eggs?”  
  
Zarya looks up at the dark sky covered by clouds. “Eggs.”  
  
“Oh, gross.” She giggles and Zarya wonders if she got so many followers with that smile.

“Would you rather have to kiss roadhog or reaper on the mouth?” She was obviously enjoying herself.

“Neither,” Zarya replies absently, “I would fight both at once first.”  
  
D. Va laughs again and kicks her, “I guess I should expect that.” She blinks at her and her face grows oddly still, honest, “I’d put my money on you anyway.”

Zarya grins. “Strength beats all.”  
  
“Well, obvs. I would choose myself first for any actual battle.”  
  
Zarya widens her eyes, “you think your little 43 kilograms could scratch my pinky?”  
  
D. Va huffs, “I have giant death robot you know, fyi.”

Zarya winks at her, “but who protects you when you fall out of death robot all by self?"

D. Va puts her hands in a little gun and pretends to aim at her, “pew, pew.”

Zarya laughs and bats her on the back, almost making the small girl keel forward.  
  
“You should still consider work out routine. Your tiny noodle arms could not beat soup.”  
  
D Va. crosses her arms across her chest, “nah. I don’t think so. I was made for windowless rooms in front of a computer screen.” She brushes her hair behind her shoulder, “that’s how you git gud.”

Zarya sighs and looks at the sky, “I am trying not to be mortified at your lifestlye.”  
  
D. Va scoots next to her and pushes on her shoulder, “bet I could increase your reflexes with some starcraft.”

Zarya watches her face, “I have real life guns, don’t worry.” She flexes and D. Va dramatically puts a hand on her forehead and swoons. She hopes D. Va doesn't see the color rise in her cheeks. Luckily, she is looking at the sky at that moment.

“Ooh!” She jumps, “a hole!”

Zarya looks around, “what?”

“The sky dummy.” She grabs her head and directs it upward. Zarya blinks, a hole in the cloud reveals a milky way as bright as white fireflies in a frenzy.

“That’s rad.” D. Va breaths serenely.

“I suppose you don’t see that in the city.” Zarya remarks, “you should visit my village. It is every night.”

D. Va continues to smile up at the little sliver of starlight, “don’t this ruin this for me meathead.” She leans on her and they relax under the brief illumination on the empty plains. She ground glows white.

 

\----------

_148 Hours_

Hana was done with isolation. Forever. She missed the noise, she missed the sirens and missed the streets and cars and _people_.

She also had the feeling Zarya was starting to get annoyed with her clingyness.

“I want to diiiie.” She moans and eats another piece of tasteless beef jerky, “I want to die and then come back as a phantom and kick Winston’s ass. Show Tracer what a real ghost looks like.”  
  
Zarya settles in next to her, “you have a strange sense of humor little Kilok.”  
  
“You can come to my funeral, and also paint the nails of my corpse. You’re really good at it.”  
  
“I will do not so such thing,” Zarya gives a sharp look and she freezes in place, her face softens, “I will consider dying hair though. Have you considered pink?”

"Yeah!" She intakes a sharp breath, “My fans would never allow it though.” She sits upward like she was rocket propelled. “They hate change.”  
  
Zarya sighs and taps on her shoulder to get her attention, “People think what they will think, you ignore them.”

Hana leans forward, “yeah?”

Zarya glances away, “only matters what is close to you. Dear to you. Then you protect it.”  
  
Hana laughs, “oh come on! You're like a philosopher. You gotta be the best first.” She pumps her fist in the air, “a winner. Then you can just do whatever you want.”

“So young.” She moans and raises her eyes to the weak blue sky.

Hana perches on Zarya’s leg, “that feel when your companion keeps embracing ageism.”  
  
“Ageism?” Zarya snorts.

“The internet would have your ass on a platter for it.” Zarya doesn’t reply and simply pinches her cheek and says she is a little girl.

Hana swats her hand away and leans forward to get in Zarya’s face. “I’m not that young.” She announces again.

Zarya glances at her absently. Hana growls in frustration, she was losing.

  
She grasps the other woman's waist and leans in, Zarya's eyes go wide and she remains motionless. Excellent. Hana leans in and kisses her briefly on the lips. She feels Zarya’s cheeks heat up and something glow in Hana’s gut. Victory.

"See? I'm old enough." She says smugly.

Zarya looks away and her cheeks are red, "you shouldn't play with people." She mumbles.

Hana leans back on the doors, "I'm not playing." She tries to smile sincerely, Zarya doesn't look at her.

The large women sighs, "we should talk later. This is...not good."

Hana hugs her knees to her chest and almost pouts, "you don't like me?"

"We can't," Zarya says firmly, "get back to your post."

Hana rolls her eyes and goes to stand at the other end of the door, alone. She feels herself a little an edge and she finds her brain repeating the memory over and over, she bites her lip, maybe she hadn't won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will sail this ship myself, call it Darya or something


	2. Temperature Drop

_149 Hours_

Things had definitely become colder on the tundra, Zarya figured it was probably because D. Va was pouting in the corner and throwing icy glares in her direction. Things had gotten chillier when she rejected that kiss.

Zarya would reply Mercy’s voice in her head: you’re an adult. You don’t do these things.

And then she would replay the kissing event in her head like a movie on repeat. It should be illegal for girls to be so soft.

She brought out a small pocket sized book to pass the time, Anna Karenina had never seemed so appealing (in more ways than one).

She was hmming to herself about the inevitable tragedy that was really more depressing than anything in the middle of the bleak plains.

“Hey,” D. Va finally says from the other side of the door, “hey, look, Zary,”  
  
“Zarya,” She corrects formally as she turns a page.

“Yeah, yeah, cool name, I’ve got something to say.”  
  
“That seems pretty common.”  
  
“Humph,” she can see D Va crossing her arms in her mind's eye and she smiles a little to herself.

“We still have forever on this internetless wasteland, and you can’t just ignore me with a book. It was just a damn kiss.”  
  
“Perhaps I just like this book?” She offers smoothly, “and yes, it was just a kiss.” She affirms and D. Va scoots a little closer.

  
“What’s it about?” She asks, Zarya looks up to watch her brown eyes flash at her.

“Russia.” She contends. “Russian tragedy. But,” she huffs a laugh, “that is Russia.”  
  
D Va seems to rock side to side, “you wanna be in my next podcast then? I obvs can’t post it like at all rn, but we can record some.”  
  
“No…” Zarya replies absently as D. Va points at her phone.

   
“Why not?” D Va whines.

She sighs, “We should talk.” Zarya glances at her and frowns, lowering her book. “You can’t just kiss people kilok.” She finally says, D Va makes a strangled noise in the back of her throat like she’s choking.

“I thought we were past this!’

“It’s a statement,” Zarya says firmly.

“Fine, fine sorry, I respect your romantic hangups or whatev... Let’s make a video. It’s as boring as the grave out here.” She pouts, “six days, I bet I lost like 1k followers.”  
  
Zarya shakes her head, “read about Anna. She too leads a life filled with troubles. Like no internet.” She says dryly and D Va looks like she wants to kick her.

“You know what? Fine. I’m gonna sleep, don’t need an annoying pink lady to entertain me anyway.” She sticks her tongue out at her and pulls out a sleeping bag from her pack.

\---------------------

 

_152 Hours_

Hana hated sleeping. It was like a trial run in dying.

She tossed to the side in her thick sleeping bag, and then to the other side, grumbling as she shifted around. She turns left and then right, then sits bolt upright, “this isn’t working!” She calls out and she can hear Zarya chuckling at her from afar.

She takes out the mangled slinky and tries to play with it again. She glances at Zarya every few minutes to see if she’s looking up yet, or doing anything. It was a frustrating process.

Finally, Hana gets out her DS, it was once again at 20% battery, but she couldn’t take it anymore. But not even Kirby could take her mind off her frustrating companion.

“Did you know,” Hana begins as she examines the empty landscape, “Mongolia is the least populated place in the world?”  
  
Zarya glimpses up at her and she half expects her not to respond, Zarya instead shakes her head and snorts, “I don't doubt it.”  
  
“Yeah,” Hana chirps, encouraged, “they totally were unaffected by the Omnics uprising I hear, or at least not much.”  
  
Zarya frowns and says softly, “everywhere was affected...or else they were very, very lucky.”  
  
“Hmm?” Hana tilts her head, “lucky is my guess, the few omnics they did have didn’t do shit apparently. Just kept going about their biz.”  
  
Zarya looks her in the eye, “their people protected them when Overwatch came to take out their omnics.” She murmurs like there was a bug in her mouth. “One of those nations.”

Hana hums in interest and rearranges herself closer to Zarya, “wonder why Overwatch is even allowed here now, ya know? When we are super not popular there. Here.”

Zarya fully puts her book away, “don’t think they know we are.” She proclaims, “that is what I would say.”  
  
Hana looks up at the sky tersely, “it’s so lame how they don’t tell us about that junk. Or trust us.”  
  
“We are too new,” Zarya says sagely, “or too dangerous!” The body builder chuckles.

Hana puffs out her chest, “oh I am def too dangerous.”  
  
“Or a loud mouth.” Zarya takes a strike at her, Hana reels back. “Can’t tell secrets to.”

“Foul! Below the belt, ten-minute outs.”

“You chewed your gum for 5 hours straight the first day!” She is teasing her and Hana feels what she could call ‘comradery.’ Different than her usual fare over some headphones and calling someone a dick every other line.

“I gotta do something,” Hana says as she demonstrates her twitchy hands, “else I go craaazy.” She puts the slinky together in a new configuration, “it’s why they chose me anyway.” She punches the air, “reflexes too fast.”  
  
Zarya catches her fist and Hana’s face heats up, “I’ll take your word for it.”

Hana laughs, “you just gotta watch me in my mek. Too fast and too furious.”  
  
Zarya pulls her forward, “I’ll take your word for it again, even if it is just a cheap toy without muscle.”  
  
Hana rolls her eyes, “I’ll have to teach you manners one of these days. Like not insulting teammates who totes are gonna be watching your back later.”  
  
“Manners?” She shakes, “I’ve seen your streams! I don’t think they are dancing on opponent's grave and yelling ‘git better.’”  
  
Hana bounces up and down, “I said GG, they can git gud if that want me to weep on their self-explosion grave.” Hana tries to explain her tactics and point of her livestreams.

“So they get it, you know? That we aren’t just messing around out there.”  
  
Zarya eyes her, “what’s the point then?”  
  
Hana laughs when she realizes she’s joking, “plus it gets hella numbers. I’ll be able to get nike as an endorsement soon. Put shoes on my mek.”  
  
“Well, I will endorse you if I get back.”  
  
“Ooh,” Hana leans forward, “I can put my face on my suit!” She goes red quickly when she realizes what she said. But Zarya is very amused.

“If that’s what you want.” She smirks, “that is the one you can kiss as well.”  
  
“Humph,” Hana scrunches her face up, “you are too mean! I’m going to go eat terrible jerky.” She goes over to her packs, “and don’t think I won’t!” She adds as she walks off, “I jab to the kisser.” She strikes the air again, but she can hear Zarya laughing at her.

She returns with a few snack packs and a little kick to her step, “right in the kisser.” She murmurs.

“D. Va,” Zarya smiles at her, “I don’t doubt you are tough.”  
  
Hana lights up, “you can just call me Hana.” She tilts her head at her, “Hana Song.” She smiles more broadly at her and they eat slowly.

 

\----------------

 

_162 Hours_

Dark clouds started gathering on the horizon right when night began to fall, Zarya watched them carefully and Hana put on another coat. It smelled like snow as the temperature dropped.

“It’s barely the end of fall.” Hana seemed to be distraught and took refuge behind her immobile robot.

“That’s the way it is out here,” Zarya says slowly and she propped up the collar of her own coat. Hana shivered in her catsuit and jacket off to the side, snow started to lightly float to the ground.

“I don’t like this.” Zarya proclaims firmly.

“You’re telling me!” The other girl yells back, “I already can’t feel my ears.”  
  
Zarya shakes her head, “we are vulnerable to attack like this.”

Zarya glances at Hana’s whose little face grew serious, they look off into the distance as a white sheet comes down on them. They were vulnerable.

By 1 in the morning neither of them were asleep and the harsh wind beat down on the ground like frozen icicles upon her face. Her toes were even going numb and she had to hide her fingers inside her coat against her bare skin.

Hana was faring much worse, her little figure shook like leaf under her unzipped sleeping bag and her eyes peaked miserably out from under a makeshift floppy hat. Zarya watched as she curled up into a ball on the ground and moaned.

“Come here!” Zarya calls to her above the howl of the wind shear. Hana peaks up at her. “You are going to get too cold. No meat on you.”  
  
Hana retracts in farther, “I’ll be okay.” Her weak voice calls back, “only a little freezing my ass off and dying. It's fine.”  
  
Zarya sighs and gets up, she walks over to Hana and picks her, “you know you don’t have to prove anything.”  
  
Hana struggles in her arms, “get off!” She tightens the sleeping bag around her shoulders, Hana leans up into her face, “aren’t you afraid I’ll kiss you again?” Zarya considers putting her back down when their faces hover inches apart like a challenge.

“I’m afraid to make more work for Mercy when she returns to find a dead kilok.”  
  
Hana relaxes against her, “what is a kilok?”  
  
“Rabbit.” Zarya explains and Hana shifts closer and sighs.

 "Ah, shoulda guess," Hana concedes and looks back at her and exhales, “Alright, alright, let's keep each other warm like penguins. I accept."  
  
“Exactly.” Zarya sits them back down next to the door and Hana climbs into her coat to get closer to her skin, Zarya suppresses the shiver that rises through her spine.

“Your pretty warm,” Hana says as she settles in, “did you take off your armor?”  
  
Zarya nods, “bad for circulation and heat.”  
  
Hana presses up closer to her, “your mass will save us yet.” She says against her collarbone and Zarya shakes her head

“It always will!” She crows and Hana tries to wriggle in under her second shirt, “whoa.” She pushes at her.

“Come on! This is what penguins do.”

“Well,” Zarya blushes and lets her climb into her second sweater.

They sit in the freezing snowstorm through the night, huddling together as Hana perched inside Zarya’s coat and her heart beat pressed against her chest. They stay very still except the occasional hand rubbing to get warm and complaining.

For the most part, it felt like they were holding their breaths, daring the other one to back off, to stop their breaths from mixing and their skin to stop touching. But they don’t as the night drags on and Zarya cradles Hana perhaps a little too close.

\--------------------

 

Hana felt bad. Zarya spent the night warming her, and Hana had been messing with her the whole trip. She goes through a list of things to do for her when this was up. Definitely no kissing it seemed.

Zarya had somehow fallen asleep when the sun dawned on the blizzarding valley. Hana watched Zarya’s features wistfully from her perch in her lap as the other women doze gently. It was soft--missing that animated challenge to her eyes and crooked grin. Hana wanted them back, but also liked the way her eyelashes fluttered.

“This is so lame…” She mutters to herself as she pinches her own arm. “When I get back I’m sleeping for 10 hours in a master bed.”  
  
Zarya continues to nap and Hana continues to try and suck up the heat from her muscles when Hana spots something on the horizon. A dark spot in the churning sky that drew closer.

Hana’s heart jumped into her throat, she was in a bad condition to fight.

“Zarya,” she shakes her companion and tries to struggle out of the other woman's sweater, “Zarya.”

The other woman grumbles and Hana almost slaps her into consciousness, “Zarya! Something's coming.”  
  
Zarya’s eyes fly open, “Hana.” She glances down at her on confusion.”  
  
“Trouble!” She exclaims quickly and Zarya gets up and dumps her out from her jacket, Hana falls to her feet and runs to her MEKA. She hops in like she’s spring loaded and tries to rub some feelings into her hands.

Meanwhile, Zarya picks up her hidden huge gun and they take defensive positions. The black dot in the sky hovers closer until she can hear chopper blades cut through the air.

“You ready?”  
  
“Yeah.” She aims into the sky. She sends out a warning shot into the threatening clouds. 

“Hold fire!” A voice floats down, “it’s overwatch.” Hana’s eyes go wide at the voice.

“Mercy!” She calls and waves at a pale figure floating down from the sky with her halo and petite wings, a helicopter trailing her.

“We’ve come to rotate guard duty.” She says irritably, “no need to aim at us.”  
  
“We are relieved to see you,” Zarya waves at her and Torbjorn not far behind in the chopper.

“Yes, well, we are grateful for your time.” She says formally.

"We are happy to," Hana wonders if Zarya has a crush on her from the way she’s looking at the medic.

They exchange pleasantries and Hana gets her MEKA ready to be hauled away again.

She sighs happily and calls over to Zarya, “we’re going home again!”  
  
Zarya nods, “and I’ll see you again in a few weeks.”

“Oh,” Hana wilts, “we’re doing this in shifts.” She says stiffly and feels the need to bury her head in the growing snow piles.

“It’s bloody cold!” Torbjorn curses as he lands and Hana makes a face at the weather too.

Zarya comes up to her, “here.” She hands Hana something.

“What’s this?”  
  
“Contact information.”  
  
Hana’s eyes go wide, it had her address and phone number on it.

“Alright!” She cheers, “totally gonna send you my vlog of this trip. Big time disaster.”  
  
“Big time?” She asks heartily.

Hana looks down at her feet, “well. Not a total waste.”  
  
Zarya smiles down at her and she can feel Mercy’s watchful gaze on them. Zarya seems to not meet it.

  
They get on the helicopter. To Russia first.


	3. Bonding and Coffee

Zarya sat with her back to the door and a little computer in front of her, trying the coax the internet into connecting, not something she had much practice at. The room blasts with a furnace on full force and a little clock announcing 10:30.

She’s trying to navigate the tiny mouse to the bottom of the screen, muttering to herself in frustration when she hears a firm knock on the door. She blinks three times.

_Bump, bump_

Zarya gets up slowly and tries to suppress her suspicion and wish for a firearm in her arms at this time of night.

_Bump, bump_

“Hey! Open up!” Zarya relaxes, her apprehension giving way to curiosity.

“Hana?”  
  
“Yeah, Hana, freezing her tits off out here.”

Zarya makes a face and opens the door, “what are you doing here?”  
  
Hana looks up, bundled up in several layers against the cold of Zarya’s home town. Hana was holding of pile of what looked like narrow boxes.

“Bonding.” She announces and shoulders her way in, “we will be spending like, total lot of time together again.” She beams, “we should be bros.”  
  
Zarya rolls her eyes, “I don’t suppose we could have done that on the job?”

“No!” Hana crows, “or else it’s not real.” She plops herself down, “I brought board games.”

“Board games?” Zarya looks around for hidden cameras playing a prank on her.

“Yeah! I figured you weren’t into video ones.” She says shortly and starts unpacking her games. “Let’s see, I have cards, Go, Yut, monopoly, chess- I heard that was big here? And some others.”  
  
Zarya raises an eyebrow, her disbelief giving way to hospitality, “I’ll go make us something, do you want tea? Coffee?”

Hana beams up, “whatever caffeine ya got.”

She grins, “I can make you hot chocolate.”

Hana frowns at her, “not a kid. Black coffee.” Zarya snorts and puts the pot on.

Hana sets up cards to begin, “we'll begin simple.”  
  
“Dah?”  
  
“War!” She yells and catches Zarya’s attention. “Don’t think I’ll go easy on you either.” The little mech pilot announces.

Zarya chuckles, “I’ll give you the first move.”  
  
“Humph,” Hana gives her a look, “I’ll be keeping score for the night. Winner gets a favor if they win the most games.”  
  
“Favor?” Zarya was continually interested.

Hana nods, “now get over here ya lug, I have sweet, sweet victory to wrought...and friendship too.” She adds at the end with a little hand wave.  
  
Zarya laughs boisterously, “is this how you make friends? Not very good.”  
  
Hana doesn’t respond to that as she deals the cards, but Zarya can’t help but notice the twitch to her lips when she mentions that. She reminds herself to not bring it up again.

Hana sits bolt upright and they keep their cards face down. “Alright!" She announces, "on three...we can teach each other numbers too, in like languages. I know Korean, English, and Chinese you know.” She announces proudly and Zarya shakes her head.

They flip their cards and Hana celebrates every little card she gets.

“You know this is game of chance, no real skill.” Zarya comments.  
  
Hana shakes her head, “you're sore you’ve lost most your cards.” Hana sticks her tongue out and Zarya loses her last queen.

She stretches and goes to get their coffee as Hana makes up their tally.

“Hey,” Hana jumps up as she walks around the little house. “Do you live here alone?”

Zarya pours the coffee slowly, “it’s better this way.” She says softly and Hana nods.

“I’m a little jealous.” She sings and Zarya cringes.

“My landlords doesn't kick me out for gun storage.” She announces, “all that counts.”  
  
Hana smiles, “it's nice...you just need a bigger computer. This thing is tiny!” Hana approaches her 2030 machine.

“No! Wait,” Zarya reaches for her but it was too late.

Hana blinks a couple times before jumping up and down with a smile on her face, “is that my video? Oh my God, you were looking me up.”  
  
Zarya sighs and tries to hand her a cup, “it’s nothing, nothing...Just thought,” she sighed again, “bonding as you said.” Hana seems to shimmy back and forth. “Take your drink.” She grunts.

Hana takes it and looks back up, “did you like ‘em?”

Zarya doesn’t meet her eyes, “not...bad. Bubbly.” She scratches her neck, “but why so much gum? Popping, all the time.”  
  
Hana gives her a thumbs up, “they give me a sponsorship! Oh, what was that about you sponsoring me?” She asks mischievously.

Hana continues to grin, Zarya gives her a steady look, “drink up.”

Hana looks down at the black coffee, wrinkles her nose delicately, sees Zarya watching her and tips the drink into her mouth in one gulp.

Zarya’s eyes go wide as she chugs the whole mug in a single go.

“Isn’t that...hot?” She is worried for the girl.

“Ah!” Hana wipes her mouth, “no.” She squeaks, eyes watering, and Zarya gets her a glass of water.

“What game next?”

Hana taps her chin, “I can teach you Go...if you haven’t played it before.” Hana’s pupils were expanding.

“Why not.”  
  
Hana teaches her the eastern game and she finds herself engrossed, Hana too was oddly quiet as she concentrated, her tongue sticking out and brow furrowed.

She turned out to like strategy more than Zarya would have guessed.

She tries not to stare too hard at her cute face screwed up in concentration.

“Ha!” Hana makes the final move and Zarya smiles shortly, “you’ll need to practice if your gonna beat me.”  
  
“That doesn’t seem entirely fair.”  
  
Hana sits back up and rocks back and forth as is her habit, “shrug.” She says out loud and Zarya takes a sip of her coffee.

“What next?”  
  
“Uh,” Hana looks at the ceiling, “man, you really are gonna indulge me.”  
  
“We are…” she slaps her on the back and Hana almost falls over, “bros.”  
  
Hana jumps up, “how about charades? We can act out people and you can guess who it is. That is fun.”  
  
Zarya tilts her head to the side and accepts, “you first.” Hana’s pupils were blasted at that point, “you have the most energy.” She notes and Hana nods.

She takes out a fake finger gun and points at the lamp on her table before looking at her watch and tapping it. She shoots the finger gun.

“Mcree.” Zarya says simply.

“Correct!" She giggles, "that local cowboy discovers the time of day, and goes on shooting spree.” Zarya almost feels the need to catch her as she sways.

“Alright,” Zarya gets up and touches her wrist, trying to impress the ball of energy that was Hana Song, she smiles and tosses pretend hair behind her shoulder and sits.

Hana tilts her head, “Symetra.”  
  
Zarya shakes her head and draws a rabbit in the air before jumping up and making a peace sign. It felt rather ridiculous.

“Oh,” Hana’s eyes light up, “me!” She scrunches her face up, “hey! Total out of bounds.”  
  
Zarya shakes her head, “you got it. That is that.”  
  
Hana sighs, “alright, I’ll do you next.” She puffs her cheeks out and flexes.  
  
“Let me help you, you could use some height.” She picks up the girl and holds her up as she flexes.

“Whoa,” Hana yells, “I’m big and buff and will eat you.”  
  
“Precisely little one.”  
  
“I can’t believe you live up here.” Hana comments as her feet dangle and Zarya holds her up high, “nice. Put me back on the ground, I can kick more people's kneecaps from down there.”

She snorts and puts her down, but not before her left-hand ghosts over the small of the other girls back. She suppresses a shudder.

They sit back down, Zarya glances at the clock, “it is two.” She announces bluntly.

Hana shrugs, “I ain’t sleeping.”

“Where are you staying?”

Hana doesn’t meet her eye and tugs on her heavy sleeve, “uh.”

“I suppose I have a guest room. I can set it up."  
  
“Wait.” Hana grabs at her, “let’s play...one more. To see the final tally.”  
  
Zarya shrugs, trying to plan out how to clean out the guest room quickly and bat away any spiders in there.

“Alright,” She looks down, “I will teach you to play chess correctly. Classic game of my people.”  
  
Hana vibrates and sets up the board, “the horse is my favorite.” She says simply and Zarya gives a heavy sigh, but one followed with a fond smile.

Hana gets on her stomach and Zarya nods as she explains the rules to Hana who didn’t remember the full set.

She sticks her tongue out again and Zarya does _not_  stare. Too much.

Hana slowly makes her way across the board, but she is slow, and Zarya is practiced.

“Do your parents know you are here?” Zarya broaches the subject.

Hana shrugs, “they know I am on a mission.” She makes a peace sign, “also, I make like all the money, so I can do what I want.” She says aggressively and Zarya hums.

“Sounds," She pauses, "complex.” She takes her knight out with a pawn and Hana growls.

“It’s nothin’, as long as I get to keep playing stuff, like starcraft, I can support like everyone.”  
  
Zarya nods, “I supported my mother as well.”  
  
Hana glances up at her and their eyes meet, “was she...happy with it?” Her words are weighted, layered.  
  
“She may have been happy.” She replies, equally weighted.

“Is she…” Hana breathes and Zarya knows what she’s asking.

“Lost.” She grunts, “in the chaos of omnics.”  
  
Hana nods, “that’s why we do what we do.” Hana says fiercely before taking her bishop with her queen.

Zarya smiles, “check mate.”  
  
Hana freezes, “but…” She searches the board, her brown eyes large and frantic. “But...” She sits upright, “no fair!”

Zarya shrugs, “you can practice.”  
  
Hana rolls around on the floor, hitting her knees against a cupboard, “ugh, _I_ need to get better.”  
  
Zarya starts cleaning up, it was 3:30.

“You did well enough.”

"Not good enough though."  
  
Hana rolls to the side and goes for the tally board, before Zarya can get up Hana plopped herself in her lap. “Not so fast, I still come ahead in the end.” She points at the little marks and Zarya raises her eyebrows.

“Yeah?”

“I get that favor,” she winks at her and Zarya holds her breath.

“Is it the same as last time?” Hana fidgets a little and Zarya can feel her eyes hover over her mouth.

“Uh,” they sit very still and Hana kicks her feet in the air, she can feel her breath on her cheek. Zarya drops the chess pieces she was holding.

Hana lowers her head, “training…” she finally breathes. She scrambles out of her lap quickly, “I _do_ have noodle arms… I figure you could train me.” The girl says reluctantly and Zarya quirks a grin.

“I would have done that for free!”

Hana pouts, “alright, well, you better be good at.”

She goes to wash the mugs out and turn the lights out. “You better get to sleep then...We’ll be up at 6.”  
  
Hana groans, “ugh, never mind.”  
  
“Too late!”

Hana sighs, “fine, it’s not like I live off much sleep anyway.”  
  
Zarya pauses, “guest room, on the left, past the bathroom.”  
  
Hana’s soft steps approach the hallway, and pause behind Zarya.

“Hey,” she says softly and Zarya can hear the strain in her voice, she touches Zarya’s wrist from behind and she doesn’t move, “thanks.”  
  
Her hand stays on Zarya’s wrist for a long moment, tentative and soft. She lets go like a whisper and Zarya’s chest aches.

“Do you want a bedtime story?” She breaks the quiet jokingly.

“Nah,” Hana says harshly, as her gentle voice fades, “If you need to sleep though...you know where I am."  
  
Zarya's face gives an angry flush and Hana leaves her, a smirk in her eyes, and they part. Zarya washes the mugs three times and runs her sudsy fingers through her hair. She closes her eyes and sighs.


	4. Jog This Way

Hana could feel her eyes drooping and the blurriness around her vision didn't help.

The morning barely peaked above the horizon and the tiny town slept like the dead as Hana wrecked herself pounding herself across the paved road.

A wide street that formed the center of the town with low wooden houses adorning steep roofs and chimneys choking out grey clouds into the pale, seamless sky. The road was dusted with snow and Hana’s breath coming out in little hiccups of white.

She could feel her lungs burning, she wanted to throw herself against a wall, her normal bursts of energy were not made for this. 

She kept her head down, the northern chill of the little Siberian town stung her eyes and she kept jogging.

“This is awful,” she complained as her numb legs kept pounding.

“What was that kilok? I can’t hear you from so far behind.” Zarya was smiling back at her pointedly and Hana sped up even faster in their early morning run.

The sun as weak as white straw lit the crevices between the houses and Hana tried to keep up.

“Maybe I’ll be happy with my noodle arms, maybe my noodle arms are delicious and needed for soups,” she mumbled to herself, “maybe I have a giant freakin’ mech and I don’t need to know how to jog a mile.” She fretted between breaths.

“Don’t waist your air! Almost to town center.” Zarya said without missing a beat, she sped up and Hana was forced to join her long strides.

The sleepy little town stayed asleep while Hana jogged with bags under her eyes and a stitch forming in her side.

“This is like, some form of torture.” She tried to get Zarya’s attention by bumping into her, but she missed and stumbled on the stone ground..

“Little one, do I have to say it? No pain, no reward.” 

Hana groans and rubs at her drooping eyes. “I want a refund on this whole thing.”   
  
Zarya laughed, “tell you what, if you make it to town center first, I will carry you home. A promise.”   
  


Hana’s eyes lit up, “hell yes. You’ll regret that.”   
  
She jumping up and down in place for a moment before planting her feet and launching off from the stone path salted with snow. She feels her lungs burn again, but can ignore it enough to sprint towards the little empty basin where a fountain stood.

She launches herself towards it and finds her feet spinning her fast towards the goal, it was father than it seemed, and Zarya was keeping pace beside her. She pours on the speed, making her muscles scream just a little louder.

“Whooo!” Hana cheers before her foot even hit the square, “ain’t got nothing on this!” She wheezed as she came crashing down into the side of the stone basin and proceeded to jump and down before flopping to the cold ground.

She tries to catch her breath while the thin strings of the sun weep onto the landscape, Hana glances to her left to see Zarya holding her sides.

Hana was going to whoop again, pointing out that Zarya was winded two, but then the older woman looks up and Hana realizes she’s laughing.

 

Hana puts her bottom lip out and rolls over, “made it to the fountain.” She bounces her eyebrows up and down and says slowly, “first.”   
  
“That you did kilok.” Zarya was shaking her head, “the faces you make are also...charming.”   
  
Hana ignores her, “a win's a win, even if you nerf ‘em with their backs to you while holding down the F1 button.”   
  
“Doesn’t sound too fair.” Zarya was reaching to the sky, “stretch mech pilot, avoid hurting your muscles.”

 

Hana rolls her eyes but starts trying to touch her toes and crack her back.

She was on the ground, sorely trying to reach anywhere past her knees (she couldn’t) when her eyes catch on the fountain inscription.

  
She blinks, “what’s that read?” She asks as the centerpiece in the square.

Zarya turns to her, the lines on her face all tugging down as her eyes narrowed in their sockets, “this town was destroyed once. This fountain remained.” Zarya began slowly.

“It says all that?” Hana reaches towards the edged words.

“No. ‘It says metal will rust but flesh will endure’.”    
  
“Huh?” Hana blinks her eyes and Zarya frowns and seems to turn away, “ah.” Hana bites her lips, “omnics.” She says in one breath. 

She gets back up, “Well, that sucks, my home, home town got ganked too when I was really little.” She tries to share, and then frowns, “it came from the ocean.”   
  
Zarya nods and Hana puts up her arms, Zarya wrinkles her brow, “yes?”   
  
“It’s time to keep promises.” She bounces on the balls of her feet and raises her hands, “I want to ride on your shoulders.”   
  


Zarya’s wrinkling eyes turn upward again and she sighs, “I suppose I walked into this one.”   
  
“Yeah ya’ did.” Zarya bent down and Hana scrambles to get on her shoulders.

 

“Watch it,” Zarya says good-naturedly, “I am not your robot.”

 

Hana positions herself, “are you sure? Because you feel like a tank.” Hana teasingly squeezes the other woman’s trunk sized biceps.

 

Hana expects a deep throaty chuckle to follow but Zarya simply stood up, jostling Hana, she leans forward to find a dusting of red over the Russian’s cheeks. Hana’s heart pitter-patters and she tries to think of the elements of the periodic table in order. 

 

“You did half a jog,” Zarya says warmly as they start to move, “you are halfway to having a muscle.”   
  
“You mean muscles?”   
  
“No, little one, just one.” Hana snorts and folds her arms across her chest moodily, but Zarya was holding on to her dangling ankles and she shifting in place.

“Now, my friend, Granny Alla,should be awake, you should try some kasha,” they lumber towards a low house in the opposite direction and Hana agrees with enthusiasm.

"Sweet! Food, I'm in."

Hana perches on her back and takes a deep breath, the cold morning air still stings her lungs again but wakes her up enough to throw her hands in the air.

 

Her legs felt heavy, she has far too much fun riding on Zarya’s shoulders however, and eats more ‘kasha,’ porridge, than she rightfully should and teases Zarya for being what looks like a foot taller than everyone in the town.

 

Zarya carries her back but makes her hold flour bags ‘to build muscle’ on the way.

 

\---------------------

 

“Hi, hi, everyone.” 

Zarya raises her eyes from her Overwatch memo as Hana’s voice chirps from the corner.

 

“If you can’t tell I’m broadcasting from a friends! And yeah, we are in Russia, and yes, I haven’t been online in a couple days, I know, but I’ll be on to do a walk through of the new Amnesia game in a few. The betting for how much I’ll scream is in the description! But you better make it low, I fight real life baddies now, so the whatever weird monsters and dicks the Swedes cooked up are nothing…” Zarya turns back to the memo and let’s Hana’s voice fade as she does her webcast from Zarya’s very old webcam and computer.

 

Zarya frowns and hums, the report on the Mongolian base wasn’t in there, Tracer was in Namibia taking down a gang that was capturing old Overwatch tech. Winston made a new team recipe everyone should check out on his pinterest, Mercy wanted them all to stop falling off cliffs (this one seemed rather pointed) and came with a crudely drawn guide on how to 'not throw yourself off tall areas'. The stick figure wore a robot suit with wings.

Zarya takes a deep breath and has to put the paper down when Zenyetta makes a report of taking down a Talon member in the Philippines. She glares out the window.

 

“Hey, big-n-meaty, say hi already.”   
  
Zarya  glances up, Hana was pointing the webcam at her and looking expectantly at her.

“Uh, yes, hello,” she waves, “my internet will not work great, so doubt any of you can see me.”   
  
Hana turns the webcam, “yesss, we know, the internet sucks here, and no I can’t tell you where in Russia we are dummies, everything I do is top government-secret.”  Zarya rolls her eyes, “but you may recognize her as a top body-builder!”  Hana was beaming, “flex for us Zar!”

Zarya flashes a toothy grin and flexes, Hana claps and cheers from the corner, Zarya can’t look her in the eye.

“She’s super strong, like me, and all my D-mites should check out her old vids! Totally crushing it on the barbells.”   
  
Zarya frowns, “I would rather they not.”   
  
Hana shrugs, “alright, scratch that, just watch more of my videos, I know you didn’t like my last one ‘cause I said the word moist twice, in honor of that I’m gonna say the word moist fifteen times in a row while you showing you my fave hand gesture…” Zarya laughed again as Hana flipped off the world and Zarya watched her live-cast herself as she ate peanut butter and talked about kasha for ten minutes.

“Alright! I’ll be offline again for a bit my D-mites.” She says as she starts waving at the screen, Zarya snorted.

“We’ll be going back to Mongolia for another week.”   
  
“That’s right!” Hana cheers, “I’ll be suffering, with company, in the outdoors for a week or so, so don’t wait up! GG, everyone.” Hana threw up a peace sign and signed off.

Her phone buzzes by her side, Zarya watches as she glances at it and then turns it off. Hana stood up, stretched and walked over to the couch, plopping down next the Zarya.

“We really are going back to that empty piss-party.” She sighs heavily and leans on Zarya, “Zar, come on, we should try to get reassigned to Miami. Take a vacation.”

Zarya glances at her as Hana kicks her feet and leans her forehead on Zarya’s shoulder.

“Isn’t this your vacation for you?” She inputs curiously.

Hana’s alert brown eyes fix on hers, “it is, but I consider anywhere I can wear a bathing suit an actual vacation."

“Let me buy you a bathing suit then, extra-small or tiny-bug-size?”   
  
Hana punches her lightly, “hey! And no, unless you have a pool and extra sun stored somewhere in your grilled-iron abs.”

“Nothing, but iron unfortunately.” She says back and finds herself smiling more than she actually should.

Hana tossed her head to the side, “it’s not bad here though.” She hums and Zarya finds herself leaning towards Hana as well.

“But we’re going back.”   
  
“We’re going back.”

Hana groans and grabs onto Zarya, “it’s going to be so boring.”   
  
Zarya laughs, “we’ll think of something.” Hana doodled a design in her forearm and Zarya let's her, there is something sugar-warm in the air.   
  
Zarya gets out another chess game and they position themselves around it, quiet and heavy in the night, they only had so much more time before the mission was back on.


End file.
